CARLSBAD-- During the postseason, closing games on the mound is often the most suspenseful position to be in. If you surrender a sizable lead, it can be demoralizing. But if you finish what your squad had started earlier, it's all the more rewarding.

University of Southern Indiana junior closer/shortstop Matt Chavarria was lucky enough to be on the positive end of throwing the final inning. The 2010 Carlsbad High School graduate and former Caveman baseball player helped the Screaming Eagles defeat Drury University 4-2 in the Midwest Region Championship game this past Sunday, in front their home crowd.

In the top of the ninth inning with one out, Chavarria also came through with one of the biggest at-bats of his career with the game-winning RBI-double.

"Offensively, he struggled a little bit toward the end of the season. But we kept him in our 3-hole; and he came up and got a big hit for us," USI head coach Terry Archuleta said. "He has had great quality at-bats. He definitely does a really good job of staying on the baseball, and that's what enables him.

"Matt's just a leader. He's a guy that shows up to the park every day, has a smile on his face. He doesn't get caught up in the moment too much. He's just worried about getting his job done. What Chavy does really well on the mound is, he's able to show deception."

Matt's younger brother Josh, who just finished his sophomore season at CHS, was inspired by Matt's recent accomplishments. Josh would call Matt for general baseball advice to help him be better prepared to possibly play college baseball too.

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"He calls me every now and then," Matt said. "I tell him the first thing he needs to take care of is his grades. I just wanted to play ball. When it came time to go to school, I applied to go to community college because of my grades."

It's been a long and tiring journey for Chavarria to reach this point. He previously played baseball at Eastern Arizona College and Otero (Colo.) Junior College prior to traveling almost halfway across the country to Evansville, Ind. and suit up for USI.

"I had no idea who they were [at first]. I never would have even imagined coming out here to Indiana to play baseball," Chavarria, 21, said. "It was kind of a shock when they called me and wanted me to come play."

Although he had considered schools such as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference baseball heavyweights News Mexico Highlands University and Colorado Mesa University, Chavarria started making up his mind after talking to Coach Archuleta over the phone. Archuleta brought up his program's recent success as an NCAA Division II baseball contender. That instantly attracted Chavarria to the Screaming Eagles.

Sure enough, Chavarria made the jump to DII. Majoring in Sports Management (with a minor in marketing), Chavarria feels he made one the best decisions of his life by choosing USI to continue his routine on the diamond.

"I will never regret coming here. I just want to thank everybody from back home," Chavarria said.

Southern Indiana (45-12) will continue its quest for a national title at 11 a.m. (MT) Saturday. They will face University of Tampa in Cary, N.C.

Chavarria wants to finish 2014 on a strong note. Heading into his senior year this fall, it's extra motivation to finish business.

"We all set a goal for what we wanted to do," Chavarria said. "Next year, we're going to have basically the same team. Being a senior and [with] all the other seniors, we've got to keep everything going."